Uncategorized

The printed image has been a principal source of information, education and entertainment for the human mind probably since Gutenberg invented the printing press in 1450.  We may never really consider it, but what is the principal conduit for transferring this information from the printed page to our brain?  It is of course our eyes.

Thanks to increased computing power and technology improvements   digital printing has made great leaps forward over recent years in terms of displacing traditional printing methods such as offset lithography and flexography.  In fact ink jet is now the leading digital printing technology and thanks to these continuing improvements is expanding rapidly into new markets and applications, to the extent that it is hard to say exactly what share of the printing market is currently held by ink jet, but it is very significant.

In traditional graphics printing ink jet shows a particular advantage in short run variable printing where the cost per page is much lower for digital printing.  However I think it is still true to say that for long run printing the traditional technologies, particularly offset lithography, remain dominant.

However amazing new research has recently been published by a group of researchers in Cambridge where ink jet technology could be utterly dominant.  Traditional technology and even other digital processes like electrophotography would be completely useless.

What is this printing application?  To my mind it is beautifully ironic given the tools we have been using for centuries to read printed output.  It is the ink jet printing of eye cells.  This work, if successful, could lead to the production of artificial tissue grafts made from the variety of cells found in the human retina, and may well be a valuable aid in the search to cure blindness.

What a marvellous ground breaking development in the history of inkjet technology.  It makes its original uses to print sell-by dates on packaging and eggs, or to print documents and photos in our home, seem so very mundane.  More information on this work, and a link to the full article in the journal Biofabrication, can be found at http://www.forbes.com/sites/bridaineparnell/2013/12/18/scientists-make-more-eye-cells-with-an-inkjet-printer.

I have spent many years in my career formulating ink jet inks for a variety of printing applications. Two of the key properties that need to be carefully controlled for a fluid to print well from an inkjet print head are viscosity and surface tension.  Although this research shows that the applications have moved on to a whole new level compared to the dyes and pigments of my experience, I felt a certain satisfaction on reading that the age old issues of viscosity and surface tension remain, and in fact are greatly exacerbated by the introduction of living cells into the “inks”. So there is still some role for the formulators in this fast moving technology area.

Finally, I am looking forward to helping deliver the iFormulate Ink-Jet Formulation Workshops in June and September. If you have any questions on the content of those workshops, please contact me on mark@iformulate.biz or via info@iformulate.biz.

Mark Holbrook, February 2014

Photo Credit: Desirae via Flickr

This was the rather inventive title of a talk which I attended a few weeks ago. It was given by Dr Liam Herringshaw of Durham University who is part of a research consortium called ReFINE which has been set up to look independently at the topical and controversial subject of fracking. The ReFINE website is well worth a look and keeping track of, and part of it got me round to thinking about what role, if any, formulation will play in the wider implementation of the technology outside of North America.

One of the key concerns around fracking is leakage of chemicals into the water aquifers. The integrity of the well is perhaps the most critical element in preventing this. The formulation of the so-called fracking fluid will also no doubt be a key factor. Most fracking fluids are 98% water but the other elements have much of the functionality seen in formulations from other sectors. The components added include friction reducers (rheology modifiers), biocides, corrosion inhibitors, crosslinkers, and acids to remove drilling mud damage near the wellbore area. Formulations also include a so-called propping agent which is required to stop the induced fractures from closing up. This is now commonly silica sand which must be a vast improvement on the cement pellets coated with asbestos which Exxon patented in 1975! There has been some recent discussion as to whether patents will negatively impact on the availability of information to determine the environmental impact of fracking fluids.

According to that article, there were on average fifty patents per year on hydraulic fracturing between 1981 and 2003 with this increasing significantly to an average of over 150 per year between 2004 and 2010 in the US. The article makes the point that knowing what chemicals can be used and what is actually used can be difficult. The authors are particularly concerned about the environmental impacts. As fracking becomes more common in Europe, then the much maligned REACH regulation will be of value in providing this information via the extended Safety Data Sheets. Still care will need to be exercised and formulation and ingredient knowledge from a range of sectors will be required.

We will be monitoring how fracking and formulation develop over the next few months and will be writing more in-depth summaries in future newsletters and on this website.

David Calvert, November 2013

Most homes in temperate and or humid climates will have a population of house dust mite- in the European area it is most commonly the species Dermataphagoides pteronyssius. These are small (0.2 – 0.3 mm long and invisible to the naked eye) 8 legged creatures and are members of the arachnid family. They love dark humid conditions which are present in most homes, especially at this time of year as a consequence of closed windows and heating systems in operation. In general, the optimum conditions for growth of house dust mites are temperatures of 20-25 degrees C and humidity’s of 70-80% RH .They live primarily on shed skin flakes present in house dust and detritus which, believe it or not, typically contains up to 80% of human skin flakes. They are benign harmless creatures in their own right but the material contained in their excreta and from their decaying bodies is responsible for triggering allergic responses in many sensitised people (sneezing, runny eyes, inflammation of nasal passages and eyes, skin rashes, asthma and wheezing). Many of the dust mite allergens are enzymatic proteases or of similar structure and are thought to consist of lysozymes, cysteines,and trypsins . This is a perennial allergen response as opposed to pollens which are seasonal.

Considering their preferred  living conditions they are primarily found in micro-environments in the home which can give them optimum conditions such as beds (mattresses/pillows,) soft toys, cushions, and carpets. Beds are great sources of skin flakes and heat and humidity from bodies in close contact with the mattress. It is even mooted that the mites have “tidal” behaviour -migrating up to the top of the mattress when the bed is occupied and returning to the interior when the bed is empty! Carpets are also a key reservoir of dust mites as they are often laid against a cold (compared to the room they are in) floor and hence have a high humidity at this boundary and are dark at the base of the pile.

So can you remove or neutralise the effects of these creatures and their detritus to reduce the allergenic response as opposed to only treating the symptoms? Avoidance, removal, environment change and chemical treatments are all possible. However it is often not easy to achieve a level of removal / control in a whole domestic environment that is below an allergen trigger threshold. Further details can be found in articles from the University of Glasgow and the University of Sydney. Even effective localised treatments need to be considered in light of the whole home’s allergen and mite reservoir and many individuals might be sensitised to more than one allergen class.

Control methods include frequent vacuum cleaning of carpets etc. with a high efficiency machine (HEPA filter) to prevent re- distributing the allergenic material, occlusion covers on mattresses pillows, changing the environment by minimising carpet areas or lowering ambient humidity (e.g. see trials of various approaches).

Acaricides (insecticide type products) to kill mites and allergen neutralisers have also been suggested which work by blocking specific sites on or changing the structures of many of the proteinaceous allergens (see e.g. this patent). Regular dusting, frequent washing of bedding, dry cleaning of duvets, high temperature steam have all been shown to have some effect and probably work by removing mites/allergens, killing mites or neutralising the allergens.

There are also medical developments ongoing to further develop allergy immunotherapy treatments into more convenient dose formats which will treat the person rather than the environment (e.g.in multi allergen sensitised sufferers see this double-blind study from 2001 and this more recent paper).

Malcolm McKechnie, January 2014

By David Calvert

As the football transfer window draws to a close with the world record being broken with the transfer of Gareth Bale to Real Madrid, our thoughts turned to the equivalent in the formulation world and some of the more interesting merger and acquisition news in the formulation arena.

In the pharma world, many of the major drug companies have lost their “Gareth Bale” as their big drugs go off patent. Pfizer had exclusive marketing rights for Lipitor, and brought in more than $12 billion in one year at it’s peak, but this exclusivity expired in November 2011. Eli Lilly & Co had the antipsychotic drug Zyprexa (worth more than $5 billion at its peak) but also lost that in October 2011. Still both companies had money to burn with Pfizer holding $23 billion at the end of Q3 2012 and Eli Lilly had $6.9 billion. Both were rumoured to be interested in purchasing Bausch and Lomb, but that company was purchased for $8.7 billion by Valeant Pharmaceuticals International in May of this year

When football teams enter a new league, they look to buy those with experience at that level. In the formulation arena entering a new market is no different and Reckitt Benckiser’s purchase of Schiff Nutrition for about $1.4 billion at the end of 2012 will allow them to enter the vitamins and supplements markets, but perhaps more interestingly in their own words will bring “significant synergies” so keep your eyes open for some new “set-piece routines”!

Unlike football, there is now window for acquisitions, so there is no deadline for companies to purchase GSK’s Ribena and Lucozade brands. Following the collapse of the merger with Britvic, AG Barr, makers of Irn-Bru, were rumoured to be considering a bid around the £1bn mark. But as this article was being drafted, they were usurped as the news came through that Suntory have bought the brands for £1.35billion.

So gossip lovers everywhere need not fear with the closure of the football transfer window, there will be plenty of activity in formulation to keep us all interested!

(Image: hinnamsaisuy at freedigitalphotos.net)

Attendees at the new one day training course “Solid State Stability of Formulations” were intrigued to learn how defining the “edge of failure” can help formulators anticipate and diagnose problems with solid stability. Whether it’s chemical degradation in a solid tablet, or physical properties of a powdered solid, understanding and defining the boundary between acceptable and unacceptable performance are the first steps in a stability evaluation programme.

Delegates from across Europe benefited from attended the course held on May 8th near Nottingham, UK and which was run by iFormulate Ltd of UK in association with FreeThink Technologies from the USA. Attendees were drawn from industries as diverse as detergents, pharmaceuticals and packaging and they described the content as “thought provoking” and containing “very good presentations” which were “very detailed” with “a lot of information” which provided “a good basis for rapid stability determination”. Overall the programme was described as consisting of “excellent topics”.

Course organiser, Dr David Calvert of iFormulate Ltd said: “The course tutors from FreeThink and iFormulate were able to draw upon their wealth of practical industrial experience and sound scientific knowledge. So it was clear from the open discussion sessions during the day, as well as follow-up after the course, that the attendees derived a huge amount of benefit in a very cost-effective way”.

It is provisionally planned to repeat the successful course. Details of the course are still available on the iFormulate website and anyone who’d like to know more is encouraged to e-mail info@iformulate.biz for further details.

iFormulate Ltd, May 2013

As the summer finally arrives in the UK, we thought we could take stock as to how formulations help to make it an even more enjoyable experience and highlight some recent patents granted or applied for.

As the sun comes out, protection is needed for your skin and all skincare treatments only function thanks to formulation technology. During our recent training, iFormulate4Nano, we discussed the use of nano titanium dioxide in products such as sunscreens and some of the increased scrutiny that these products are now coming under. Kao Corporation were granted a patent earlier this year (US8343466B2) for hydrogel particles which contained nano titanium dioxide as the UV shielding component.

All those who suffer from hay fever know how important anti-histamine treatments are. First generation products such as diphenhydramine and hydroxyzine were effective but had side-effects such as drowsiness. Products based on loratidine, astemizole and terfenadine eliminated these side-effects, but, if truth be told, were not as effective as the first generation. A patent application published earlier this year (US 20130053400 A1, originally assigned to Nektar Therapeutics) looks to combine the best of both worlds by covalently attaching a water soluble oligomer to antihistamine drugs. As well as this chemical modification, the patent outlines a number of formulation options allowing this to be administered by a number of different routes.

Once you have been protected from the sun and pollen, a good day in the sun is rounded off by an ice-cream. Of course there is a drive towards sugar-free in many foodstuffs and a patent application published earlier this year (US20130164428 A1, originally assigned to Jon Gordon and Candice Johnston) claims an improved sugar-free formulation. The inventive ice-cream is made through a complex multi-phase process utilizing fat globules, ice crystals and air cells producing a highly viscous concentrate. Most importantly, it claims that the resulting product is palatable!

So, in the heat of the forthcoming weeks, formulators can rest easy knowing that their efforts are helping all to have a healthy and enjoyable summer.

David Calvert

(Image: Idea go – freedigitalphotos.net)

By David Calvert

We recently ran a poll on our LinkedIn Group asking the group members what they would regard as a good measure for innovation success. The choices in the poll were inspired by a list issued by Reuters, which used patents as the major measure for innovation success and created a list of the top 100 innovators. The results from our poll are shown in the graphic.

A clear winner from the poll was the opinion that the number of new products introduced was a good metric. Interestingly we saw not one vote for an increase in share price – I wonder how many CEOs of listed companies would agree with that? The comments from respondents suggested that the appropriate measure did depend upon the size and nature of the company in question. For instance a small formulating company may not have a patent portfolio due to the cost of filing and maintaining patents, but the company could still be regarded as very innovative. The lack of patent portfolio does not of course mean that there is a lack of IP.

Thanks to all who took part in the poll. Join the iFormulate LinkedIn Group to take part in our new poll which gives you choices as to what are the major barriers to the introduction of nano-materials. At present stability in the formulation seems to be the biggest factor but that can all change. As the saying goes, “you decide!”

Mastery of formulation technology is a vital matter for companies developing new and improved products in industries as diverse as paints, inks, pharmaceuticals, cosmetics and food. Over recent years companies in those industries have become tired of hearing that formulation science and technology belong to the “dark arts” and can only be learned over decades of empirical practice in the alchemist’s lab. Employers and employees alike face a number of challenges, the first being that few colleges or universities provide identifiable qualifications in formulation science, as it straddles a number of traditional disciplines including chemistry, physics, materials and engineering. That presents a problem on recruitment, how do you know whether a candidate’s qualifications will help them to be a formulator? Secondly, once in the job, how can the employee and line manager plot a course for professional development that takes the employee to a highly proficient level? What are the appropriate training courses and qualifications, what level of expertise is needed, and who can provide training and assessment?
For these reasons iFormulate Ltd (which provides innovation consultancy in the area of formulation) has been engaged by Cogent (Sector Skills Council) to work with companies in the “formulating industries” to help them define and realise their long-term objectives in developing and embedding employee skills in formulation science and technology. Recently we drafted a Curriculum for Formulation and expect to develop this further with industry.
Cogent and industry representatives plan for formulation to be a significant part of a major new “Science Industry Partnership” for skills in the process and life science industries. The Partnership will operate at all levels, from vocational through to senior professional and scientific.

Working with industry we’ve helped to draft an innovative new plan for a modular Masters in Formulation Science and Technology, which will be one of the programmes operated by the Science Industry Partnership. Companies with an interest in upping their skills levels in formulation are encouraged to get in touch with iFormulate (initially via e-mail to info@iformulate.biz) to find out how they can benefit.
Jim Bullock

Cogent Sector Skills Council: Seminar for Industry – Free to attend

15^th March 2013, The Heath, Runcorn

Formulation Science and Technology is an essential capability which underpins business success in sectors as diverse as pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, detergents, food, agrochemicals, paints, inks and lubricants. However until now there been a lack of coherent provision of skills and training for formulation. As a consequence, employers report that it remains difficult to both find and develop employees with the right skills for scientific, technical and production functions at all levels from vocational to professional. This has an obvious knock-on effect on the ability of those companies to innovate in both products and processes.

The good news is that now something serious is being done about skills provision for formulation. Cogent Sector Skills Council would like to invite you to a free Seminar where you can hear about Gold Standards in Formulation- (tools that your company can use right away – as well as get involved in the plans for a proposed new Industrial Partnership for Formulation Skills and Training. There will be a chance to hear from industrial speakers about why skills and training in formulation are so important to them in as well as to hear about the major new developments to support innovation and R&D in UK industry which will result from the Special Interest Group (SIG) for Formulation, sponsored by the Technology Strategy Board.

To register to attend this free seminar, simply e-mail your full contact details to Ryan Jones at Cogent SSC: E: ryan.jones@cogent-ssc.com or T: 01925 515245.

This seminar is supported by Chemistry Innovation KTN and iFormulate Ltd www.iformulate.biz.

Agenda

9.00 Registration: tea/coffee & networking

9.50 Welcome. Jenny Clucas: Cogent SSC

10.00 Why is Formulation important to industry and what are the opportunities? Paul Stott – AstraZeneca – Director, Formulation Science

10.30   Cogent’s Gold Standard Framework and the new Gold Standards in Formulation. Jenny Clucas:  Cogent SSC

11.00   Professionalising Formulation – Members Opinions and the Role of Professional Bodies. Hilda Coulsey:  IChemE

11.20   Break – tea/coffee

11.35   The proposed Industrial Partnership – How could it work for industry? Jenny Clucas:  Cogent SSC

12. 05  What Could a Formulation Curriculum look like? Jim Bullock: iFormulate Ltd

12.30   Lunch: Networking

13.30   Interactive workshop session:

What are the most pressing needs and challenges of companies?

What are the examples of best practice in industry?

How should an Industrial Partnership function?

Which other elements are important and should be incorporated?

What should be in a formulation curriculum?

14.15   New opportunities for industrial innovation in formulation – the new TSB funded Formulation R&D call and the proposed National Formulation Centre. Darren Ragheb: Chemistry Innovation KTN

14.45   Wrap up & close

The Technology Strategy Board is to invest up to £5m in feasibility projects and collaborative research and development to accelerate the development of new ways of designing, improving and manufacturing complex high-value formulated products in sectors such as pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, detergents, food, agrochemicals, paints, adhesives, lubricants and formulated process chemicals. A further £1m is available for collaborative research and development from the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC).

The formulated products market in the UK is worth around £180bn a year. This competition is designed to support innovative developments which overcome the challenges facing the formulated products industry.

This competition has two strands:

Strand 1 makes up to £5m available for collaborative R&D projects. These must be business-led, include an end user formulating company, and last one to three years. Businesses can attract up to 50% public funding for their project costs (60% for SMEs). Projects will focus mainly on industrial research.

Strand 2 offers up to £1m for feasibility projects. These must be business-led, may be collaborative or led by single companies, and should last six to nine months. Businesses can attract up to 65% public funding for their project costs (75% SMEs).

Projects are expected to have a total value (including grant and private sector contributions) of up to £1m for collaborative R&D and up to £100k for feasibility projects. Projects larger than this are eligible to apply but applicants should first contact competitions@innovateuk.org before submitting their expression of interest.

The official call document is now available from the competition page on the TSB website or from this link.

Applicants may also be interested in via the Formulation Special Interest Group pages on the  _Connect website.

An overview of the TSB Sponsored Special Interest Group can be downloaded here. As well as providing information on the R&D Competition in Formulation, the overview describes the current progress to create a major new UK National Formulation Centre.

(Image: Baitong333 at freedigitalphotos.net)